Portable windbreak shelter assembly

ABSTRACT

A portable windbreak shelter assembly provides a combination shelter and windbreak which can be moved to a desired position using conventional vehicles typically available on a farm includes a shelter frame having a front, a back, a bottom face, a first lateral side face, and a second lateral side face. The first lateral side face and the second lateral side face extend upwardly from respective opposite edges of the bottom face and meet to define an apex of the shelter frame extending between the front and the back. A covering is coupled to the shelter frame wherein the covering and the shelter frame inhibit wind from passing through the shelter frame to define a sheltered interior space. The shelter frame is movable using conventional farm equipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/865,332 filed on Jan. 9, 2018.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR ASA TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

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STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention (2) Descriptionof Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and1.98

The disclosure and prior art relates to shelter devices and moreparticularly pertains to a new shelter device for providing acombination shelter and windbreak which can be moved to a desiredposition using conventional vehicles typically available on a farm.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above bygenerally comprising a shelter frame having a front, a back, a bottomface, a first lateral side face, and a second lateral side face. Thefirst lateral side face and the second lateral side face extend upwardlyfrom respective opposite edges of the bottom face and meet to define anapex of the shelter frame extending between the front and the back. Acovering is coupled to the shelter frame wherein the covering and theshelter frame inhibit wind from passing through the shelter frame todefine a sheltered interior space. The shelter frame is movable usingconventional farm equipment.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the disclosure in order that the detailed descriptionthereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that thepresent contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There areadditional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features ofnovelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisdisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than thoseset forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top front side perspective view of a portable windbreakshelter assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a top rear side perspective view of an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a top front side perspective view of an embodiment of thedisclosure in an alternative position.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosuretaken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through5 thereof, a new shelter device embodying the principles and concepts ofan embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by thereference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the portable windbreak shelterassembly 10 generally comprises a shelter frame 12. The shelter frame 12has a front 14, a back 16, a bottom face 18, a first lateral side face20, and a second lateral side face 22. The first lateral side face 20and the second lateral side face 22 extend upwardly from respectiveopposite edges 24 of the bottom face 18 and meet to define an apex 26 ofthe shelter frame 12. The apex 26 extends between the front 14 and theback 16 of the shelter frame 12. The shelter frame 12 may be formed by aplurality of spaced triangular sections 28 and longitudinal members 30forming a prism shape. Additional braces 32 may be provided in each ofthe triangular sections 28 near the apex 26. The shelter frame 12 has aplurality of door sections 34 positioned at the front 14 of the shelterframe 12. The door sections 34 define a door opening 36 through thefront 14 of the shelter frame 12.

A covering 38 is coupled to the shelter frame 12 to inhibit wind frompassing through the shelter frame 12. Thus, the shelter frame 12 andcovering 38 define a sheltered interior space 40. The covering 38extends from the bottom face 18 upwardly towards the apex 26. The bottomface 18 is left uncovered and open to the ground except for thoseportions of the triangular sections 28 extending across the bottom face18. The covering 38 has top edges 42 on the front 14 and the back ofsaid shelter frame 12 being spaced from the apex 26 defining a pair oftop vents 104 into the shelter frame 12 wherein the sheltered interiorspace 40 is partially open to allow for venting and to prevent thesheltered interior space 40 from becoming too hot. A top portion 106 ofthe covering 38 adjacent to the apex 26 and extending along at least oneor each of the first lateral side face 20 and the second lateral sideface 22 is either transparent or translucent allowing light to enterinto the sheltered interior space 40. The covering 38 has a frontopening 46 positioned along the front 14 of the shelter frame 12corresponding to and in alignment with the door opening 36. The frontopening 46 extends upwardly from the bottom face 18 towards the apex 26.The covering 38 has a side opening 50 positioned along the first lateralside face 20 of the shelter frame 12. The side opening 50 extendsupwardly from the bottom face 18 towards the apex 26. The shelter frame12 has no more than one triangular section 28 being positioned to extendacross the side opening 50. The side opening 50 may have opposite ends52 positioned adjacent to respective triangular sections 28. Thecovering 38 may be comprised of conventional sheeting material.

A door 44 is pivotally coupled to the shelter frame 12 wherein the door44 is pivotable between an open position 54 and a closed position 56.The door 44 is solid and covers the front opening 46 when in the closedposition 56. The door 44 may be constructed of framing and sheetingmaterial the same as used for the shelter frame 12 and covering 38. Adoor lock 58 of conventional design is coupled to the door 44 toselectively engage the shelter frame 12 wherein the door 44 is held inthe closed position 56.

A gate 60 is coupled to the first lateral side face 20 of the shelterframe 12 in alignment with the side opening 50. The gate 60 includes anarray of spaced elongated members 62 defining a grid 64 configured forallowing air to pass through the side opening 50 while inhibiting ananimal from passing through the side opening 50 when the gate 60 is in ashut position 66 covering the side opening 50. A top 68 of the gate 60is pivotally coupled to the first lateral side face 20 of the shelterframe 12 wherein the gate 60 is pivotable into an unshut position 70relative to the side opening 50. A gate tether 72 is coupled to the gate60. The gate tether 72 is securable to hold the gate 60 in the unshutposition 70. The gate tether 72 may be a chain 74. A catch 76 is coupledto and extends from the covering 38 on the first lateral side face 20 ofthe shelter frame 12. The catch 76 may be secured to the shelter frame12 through the covering 38. The chain 74 is engageable to the catch 76wherein the gate 60 is held in the unshut position 70.

Each of a plurality of hooks 78 is coupled to the shelter frame 12. Eachof the hooks 78 extends perpendicularly relative to the apex 26 of theshelter frame 12 wherein the hooks 78 are configured for being engagedby a lifting mechanism of a vehicle to lift and move the shelter frame12. The lifting mechanism may be a bucket, boom arm, or the likeoperationally coupled to the vehicle, such as a tractor, truck,skidloader, or the like. Each of the hooks 78 is coupled to the shelterframe 12 such that the hooks 78 are spaced above the apex 26. Each ofthe hooks 78 may be formed by a plate 80 extending simultaneouslydownward towards the bottom face 18 of the shelter frame 12 andoutwardly away from the apex 26. The plurality of hooks 78 is arrangedinto a plurality of aligned pairs 82. The hooks 78 of each of thealigned pairs 82 are equidistant from the front 14 of the shelter frame12 and extend in opposite directions perpendicular to the apex 26. Theplurality of aligned pairs 82 includes a pair of outermost pairs 84 anda medial pair 86 positioned between the outermost pairs 84. A support 88is coupled to the shelter frame 12 to space the hooks 78 from the apex26. The support 88 includes a pair of vertical posts 90 and a beam 92coupled to and extending between the vertical posts 90. Each of thehooks 78 is coupled directly to and extends from the beam 92.

An outer frame 94 is coupled to the front 14 of the shelter frame 12.Each of a plurality of fasteners 96 is coupled to the outer frame 94wherein the outer frame 94 is configured for coupling to a structurepositioned adjacent to the outer frame 94 such as a building, corralsection, windbreak panel, or the like.

To provide an alternative to lifting of the shelter frame 12, each of aa plurality of tow connection sites 98 is coupled to the shelter frame12. Each of the tow connection sites 98 has an aperture 100 wherein thetow connection site 98 is configured for being engaged by a tow line tofacilitate dragging of the shelter frame 12 by a vehicle pulling the towline. The tow connection sites 98 may be formed by gussets 102 coupledto the shelter frame 12 along the bottom face 18.

In use, the assembly 10 is liftable by the hooks 78 or can be draggedusing tow connection sites 98. The assembly 10 provides a windbreak andthe sheltered interior space 40 when more than a simple windbreak may bedesired.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodimentenabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials,shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, aredeemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and allequivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings anddescribed in the specification are intended to be encompassed by anembodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of thedisclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used inits non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word areincluded, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. Areference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not excludethe possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless thecontext clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.

I claim:
 1. A portable windbreak shelter assembly comprising: a shelterframe, said shelter frame having a front, a back, a bottom face, and afirst lateral side face, and a second lateral side face, said firstlateral side face and said second lateral side face extending upwardlyfrom respective opposite edges of said bottom face and meeting to definean apex of said shelter frame extending between said front and saidback; and a covering coupled to said shelter frame wherein said coveringand said shelter frame are configured to inhibit wind from passingthrough said shelter frame to define a sheltered interior space; a hookcoupled to said shelter frame, said hook extending from said shelterframe wherein said hook is configured for being engaged by a liftingmechanism of a vehicle to lift and move said shelter frame; and a gatecoupled to said shelter frame, said gate comprising an array of spacedelongated members defining a grid configured for allowing air to passthrough said gate while inhibiting an animal from passing through saidshelter frame while said gate is in a shut position.
 2. The assembly ofclaim 1, further comprising said covering extending from said bottomface upwardly towards said apex.
 3. The assembly of claim 2, furthercomprising a top portion of said covering adjacent to said apex andextending along at least one of said first lateral side face and saidsecond lateral side face being translucent.
 4. The assembly of claim 1,further comprising said covering having top edges on said front and saidback of said shelter frame being spaced from said apex defining a pairof top vents into said shelter frame.
 5. The assembly of claim 1,further comprising said hook being one of a plurality of hooks coupledto said shelter frame, each of said hooks extending perpendicularlyrelative to said apex of said shelter frame wherein each of said hooksextends over said apex of said shelter frame and is configured for beingengaged by a lifting mechanism of a vehicle to lift and move saidshelter frame.
 6. The assembly of claim 5, further comprising a supportcoupled to said shelter frame, said support comprising a pair ofvertical posts and a beam coupled to and extending between said verticalposts, each of said hooks being coupled directly to and extending fromsaid beam.
 7. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising said coveringhaving a side opening positioned along said first lateral side face ofsaid shelter frame, said side opening extending upwardly from saidbottom face towards said apex.
 8. The assembly of claim 7, furthercomprising said shelter frame having a plurality of spaced triangularsections, no more than one of said sections being positioned to extendacross said side opening.
 9. A portable windbreak shelter assemblycomprising: a shelter frame, said shelter frame having a front, a back,a bottom face, and a first lateral side face, and a second lateral sideface, said first lateral side face and said second lateral side faceextending upwardly from respective opposite edges of said bottom faceand meeting to define an apex of said shelter frame extending betweensaid front and said back; and a covering coupled to said shelter framewherein said covering and said shelter frame are configured to inhibitwind from passing through said shelter frame to define a shelteredinterior space, said covering having a side opening positioned alongsaid first lateral side face of said shelter frame, said side openingextending upwardly from said bottom face towards said apex; a hookcoupled to said shelter frame, said hook extending from said shelterframe wherein said hook is configured for being engaged by a liftingmechanism of a vehicle to lift and move said shelter frame; and a gatecoupled to said first lateral side face of said shelter frame, said gatecomprising an array of spaced elongated members defining a gridconfigured for allowing air to pass through said side opening whileinhibiting an animal from passing through said side opening while saidgate is in a shut position covering said side opening.
 10. The assemblyof claim 9, further comprising: a top of said gate being pivotallycoupled to said first lateral side face of said shelter frame whereinsaid gate is pivotable into an unshut position relative to said sideopening; and a gate tether coupled to said gate, said gate tether beingsecurable to hold said gate in said unshut position.
 11. The assembly ofclaim 10, further comprising: a catch coupled to and extending from saidcovering on said first lateral side face of said shelter frame; and saidgate tether being a chain, said chain being engageable to said catchwherein said gate is held in said unshut position.
 12. The assembly ofclaim 1, further comprising: said shelter frame having a plurality ofdoor sections positioned at said front of said shelter frame, said doorsections defining a door opening through said front of said shelterframe; and said covering having a front opening positioned along saidfront of said shelter frame corresponding to and in alignment with saiddoor opening, said front opening extending upwardly from said bottomface towards said apex.
 13. The assembly of claim 12, further comprisinga door coupled pivotally coupled to said shelter frame wherein said dooris pivotable between an open position and a closed position, said doorbeing solid and covering said front opening when in said closedposition.
 14. The assembly of claim 13, further comprising a door lockcoupled to said door, said door lock selectively engaging said framewherein said door is held in said closed position.
 15. A portablewindbreak shelter assembly comprising: a shelter frame, said shelterframe having a front, a back, a bottom face, and a first lateral sideface, and a second lateral side face, said first lateral side face andsaid second lateral side face extending upwardly from respectiveopposite edges of said bottom face and meeting to define an apex of saidshelter frame extending between said front and said back; and a coveringcoupled to said shelter frame wherein said covering and said shelterframe are configured to inhibit wind from passing through said shelterframe to define a sheltered interior space; a hook coupled to saidshelter frame, said hook extending from said shelter frame wherein saidhook is configured for being engaged by a lifting mechanism of a vehicleto lift and move said shelter frame; an outer frame coupled to saidfront of said shelter frame; and a plurality of fasteners coupled tosaid outer frame wherein said outer frame is configured for coupling toa structure positioned adjacent to said outer frame.
 16. The assembly ofclaim 1, further comprising a plurality of tow connection sites coupledto said frame, each of said tow connection sites having an aperturewherein said tow connection site is configured for being engaged by atow line to facilitate dragging of said shelter frame by a vehiclepulling the tow line.
 17. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising adoor coupled pivotally coupled to said shelter frame wherein said dooris pivotable between an open position and a closed position.
 18. Theassembly of claim 1, further comprising: said covering extending fromsaid bottom face upwardly towards said apex; and a top portion of saidcovering adjacent to said apex being translucent.